Gifts
by Blade of Justice
Summary: Most years, Katsuragi's list isn't a terribly long one. It usually begins and ends with giving out goodies to her usual motley crew of friends. This year, on the other hand, there's one more person old saint Kat needs to pay a visit to.


Katsuragi's Christmas had been going fairly pleasantly so far. She had jingled Asuka's bells, decked Ikaruga's halls, and narrowly avoided Yagyu dashing through her snow after Katsuragi Claus had come to Hibari's town. All in all, a pretty great day in her book. Oh, she'd given each and every one of them a real present in addition to her Katsuragi brand of gift giving, but those things had been _her_ presents. At least, that was how Katsuragi liked to look at it.

Normally, she wouldn't have much more to do on Christmas than that. Mess around with her fellow shinobi, maybe cop a few more feels than normal and blame the mistletoe, just have a jolly old time. It wasn't really a special day beyond the fact that it meant she had excuses for mistletoe-related antics or Sexy Santa outfit-related antics, but for Katsuragi, that was still fun enough. Did a person really need more than a day spent surrounded by good friends, good food, and her good friends' good boobs? She certainly didn't think so.

That was how her previous Christmas had gone, at least. It was how today had been going earlier too, but she had wanted to do something else before this Christmas day came to a close. In fact, this was the most important part of this Christmas, as far as Katsuragi was concerned.

For this time, rather than finishing the day chilling out in the nice and cozy ninja room and trying to convince Hibari to put on the skimpiest Santa outfit she could, Katsuragi found herself sitting on a stool in the cold evening, bundled up in more clothes than a pretty girl like her had _any_ place wearing, in her opinion, waiting for someone else to arrive at the ramen stand she had chosen for this particular rendezvous.

You see, unlike her previous Christmas, there was one more person on her list — one more person that she absolutely had to see before the day was over.

"I've never done this kind of thing before. Was I supposed to get you anything?"

Katsuragi grinned at the sound of the voice, glancing towards the stool at her side as a familiar head of green hair appeared next to her. The owner of the stand called out a greeting, saying he'd be with them in just a moment, to which the newcomer simply nodded.

"You're late, Hikage." Truthfully, Katsuragi wasn't at all bothered by this fact. Part of her hadn't even been sure if the other shinobi would even bother to come. It had been a strange request, after all. Sending it so last minute had been a pain enough, and considering who the recipient of it was, there was always that tremendous possibility that the request would have been ignored. So the fact that Hikage not only had arrived, but was only ten minutes late? In Katsuragi's book, that was well on its way to being a Christmas miracle. "I have half a mind to charge you for this."

"Is that how it works?" The girl's voice was dry as she surveyed the menu on the wall. Katsuragi could never tell if this girl was being sarcastic when she talked like that, or if she just truly didn't know. With a person who supposedly didn't understand or have emotions, it was hard to tell sometimes. "That doesn't sound like any kind of 'present' I've ever heard of before."

That second comment definitely piqued Katsuragi's interest.

_Was she_...?

Could she...?

Maybe... Actually...

A rueful sigh, followed by a knowing grin — which earned her a light tilt of the other girl's head, likely out of a sense of confusion.

Nope. No good.

Katsuragi still had _no_ idea if Hikage was being sarcastic or not.

"Relax, I wouldn't do that. I invited you and I'm gonna pay." Already knowing a blunt "I am relaxed" comment was probably on the way from Hikage, Katsuragi promptly chose to reach into her shirt (where else could she store these things? _pockets_?) and began rummaging around for something. A thoughtful look crossed her face as she tried to reach around for and find what she was looking for — _why_ had she worn so many layers again? "The food's not what I'm giving you, though, so you can still pay for that if you want to. Your real present is in _here_..."

Hikage gave her an even flatter look than normal. Was Katsuragi offering herself to Hikage? In public no less?

She knew the girl was a pervert, but this was something else. She might lose her appetite if this kept up.

"This sounds more like it's a present you would like. I'd rather have more food." The girl definitely wasn't interested in seeing any of that or being given it or whatever else Katsuragi had in mind right now.

"Your loss..." Her voice almost sing-song in its disappointment, Katsuragi paid Hikage little mind as she continued her quest. Her quest for _what_, Hikage wasn't sure, but she seemed to be pretty determined about whatever it was, at least. "Aha! Got it!"

At long last, having found what she was looking for, Katsuragi withdrew her hand from her shirt, much to Hikage's... okay, Hikage still didn't look particularly impressed yet. That was okay! Katsuragi hadn't expected much from her, but she still really wanted to do this all the same. Smiling triumphantly, the ninja placed a small box in front of the other shinobi, before crossing her arms proudly over her chest.

Hikage's expression didn't change much, though she was at least giving the box an inquisitive look. That was a start, right?

"I came out here... for a little box? This isn't even big enough to take back leftovers." Despite the comment, it seemed even Hikage wasn't _that_ clueless, because she didn't need to be told that boxes were usually meant for containing things, and this little velvet one was likely no different. Still, she wasn't particularly impressed just yet. At least she would have a free meal soon, which she supposed was something she could say was worth it should this turn out to be pointless. "What's in it?"

Katsuragi rolled her eyes at the question. Just what kind of gift giver did Hikage take her for?

"I can't tell you that. You're supposed to open it for yourself and find out." Her grin widening in anticipation, Katsuragi held up her hands, making "go on! go on!" motions with them.

Hikage sighed. She supposed there wasn't a choice now, was there? She'd better get this over with, then.

"Fine. If I don't like it, can I return it?" Katsuragi didn't seem too pleased with that comment, but Hikage hadn't really meant it anyway. She had just wanted to see what kind of reaction it would elicit. With that out of the way, she opened up the box. What she found inside... was surprising. "... Oh... Huh."

It was simple enough. Jewelry. A chain of sorts, made out of a metal that wasn't a particularly expensive type to use in forging and the like. She was familiar enough with it, albeit not for a use such as this. Jewelry, though? Why would she want something like this? Admittedly, Hikage had suspected it might be, considering the type of box — she might have lacked emotions, but she wasn't _ignorant_. She just didn't understand... What purpose did this serve? A throwing star would have been more useful, or a dagger.

Upon closer inspection, Hikage realized that was more than a chain — or rather, it was a stylized one. It was stylized after two very familiar creatures no less.

A snake... and a dragon. Two very familiar symbols, and they were... Intertwined. Looping around each other, locked in something but never meeting. Were they locked in combat? A fight to the death? That wouldn't make sense... Maybe one time it would have, but... Hikage didn't think it did anymore. She knew it was always a possibility, certainly, but for some reason, something told her it didn't work. Probably because of who was giving it. That was it. In other words, there was clearly some kind of symbolism here, but she didn't understand it.

She really would have preferred a new dagger.

"I don't get it." She realized Katsuragi had been watching her expectantly, and worse still, even the ramen stand's owner was avoiding coming near the pair while they were in the middle of exchanging gifts. Out of "politeness," probably. More things not to understand. "Is this supposed to represent us? They look like they're trying to kill each other. That's... unlike you."

Did it bother her that it seemed like Katsuragi might be implying that to her?

No. It didn't. It couldn't possibly. How could it? She wouldn't even know what that felt like in the first place to even begin to come to that conclusion.

She just didn't think such an implication fit Katsuragi. That was all. She disliked being incorrect and confused. That was a perfectly natural thing, even for an abnormal, emotionless girl such as herself, was it not?

"Wh- No! Heck no! What's wrong with you!?" Strangely enough, Katsuragi seemed affronted by the question. As if embarrassed, the Hanzo shinobi turned to look in front of her, almost looking as though she was sulking. Pouting, perhaps? Hikage had observed such actions displayed by Mirai often enough to know at least what they looked like, but she didn't understand why Katsuragi would be displaying that sort of thing now. That was what this so-called present looked like. Was she supposed to lie? Was this one of those times for that "tact" thing Homura kept telling her about? "It's... not like that at all. Geez. Your thighs aren't the only things you've got that are nice and thick, Hikage."

For some reason, Hikage was sorely tempted to hit her for that.

"Are you going to explain it or not? I want to eat." Her voice came out just a slight more harsh than she expected it to. She must have been hungrier than she realized — that was the only reason she could imagine that she would be particularly invested in the real meaning of this gift of Katsuragi's.

Sighing, the blonde did something unexpected. Rather than explain herself, at least rather than do that to start off her explanation, she put her elbow on the table. Hikage noticed in the back of her mind that it was the first time she had ever seen the other girl wearing so much. Her chest was nowhere in sight, and her sleeves were so long they almost reached her fingers.

She looked like she was a little child that had been dressed for its first winter rather than a shinobi in training. A faint, calculating smirk rose to Hikage's lips. The image of a child did certainly fit this girl in some ways, didn't it?

"Asuka and Hibari insisted. I _was_ gonna wear this _rocking_ Santa outfit, but they said they'd disown me as their friend if I did that and got sick." Noticing that she was being ogled, adding with some disappointment to herself that it took _covering_ everything to get Hikage interested in looking, Katsuragi preempted the gift's explanation with one for her current attire. Deciding to see how far she could take this, with the snake girl already giving her an eyeful, the blonde leaned over and grinned lecherously. "If you want, we can go somewhere a little more _private_ and I can show you what's undernea-"

"No thanks." Hikage supposed such a response was expected from Katsuragi to the attention she had been unintentionally giving her, but she didn't hate that about her — well, not that she hated _anything_. Still, getting such a typical response from the blonde after the atypical implications the chain was giving Hikage was... good. She didn't understand why, but she preferred this to whatever the chain had made her think, that much she did understand. "Besides, I've seen what's under there enough times to last the rest of my life. Are you going to explain this or not?"

Sighing, clearly disappointed, Katsuragi slumped in her stool, her head dropping onto the table and the arm she had propped up dropping on top of it.

"Aww... You're no fun... I coulda given you something ex-ex-extra special too..." Whether or not these woeful complaints had any weight behind them, Hikage wasn't sure. It was difficult to say with Katsuragi. More importantly, however, something distracted her from thinking even a fraction of a bit more about those words than she normally would have — which wasn't exactly very much in the first place anyway.

The sleeve of Katsuragi's sweater on the arm that was drooped over her head, the sleeve covering the arm that Katsuragi had put on the table for some reason after Hikage had asked about the chain, had slipped down.

Wrapped around Katsuragi's now bare wrist was a chain exactly like the one she had given Hikage.

Hikage couldn't stop looking at it. Katsuragi was wearing it. She did it naturally. If she did it, then she couldn't have been suggesting what Hikage suspected. This... was good? Why? This entire thing had been confusing from the start, and worse, they still hadn't even ordered... Though she felt much less interested in that at the moment.

"You have one too." It was stating the obvious, though considering Katsuragi was distracted at the moment, the obvious was likely necessary to bring her back to reality. Besides, she still hadn't explained it yet to Hikage, and she was waiting for an answer. Why give this as a gift and not explain it? That didn't make sense. Did it? "If you don't mean for it to signify a fight to the death, then tell me what it means."

Hikage's voice was tinged still with that something that she felt as though was impatience for their meal, but it was seemingly like that was less and less the truth of the matter. Sometimes being her could be such an annoyance.

"Well..." Based on her reaction, it seemed to Hikage like Katsuragi seemed like she hadn't expected for things to go in this direction — like she hadn't wanted Hikage to know that she had one of these too. That was a point in the "she's giving something to signify intent to kill" direction, but Hikage's mind just would not accept that, no matter how much sense it made with their past together. "I mean... Don't you laugh at me, okay? I really _will_ do something nasty to you if you do."

Hikage gave her a pointed look to this. She did _not_ laugh, and Katsuragi could _not_ do something "nasty" to her that easily.

Apparently, Katsuragi had momentarily forgotten that — or she had been trying to distract from what had happened. Regardless, she seemed back on track now.

"Anyway, uh... Yeah, it _is_ supposed to be us, but not in some crazy way like that. Do you seriously think I'd give you a present with a meaning like that?" For a moment, Katsuragi found herself annoyed.

"No. That's why I asked." Without hesitation, the reason for Hikage's uneasiness slipped out before she could so much as give Katsuragi a chance to breathe. "I didn't want to think you were capable of sending a message like that. The intent would be too logical for someone in your position and the method of giving it isn't straightforward enough."

Taken aback by this admission, Katsuragi couldn't help but pause at the bluntness of it. Despite Hikage's remark about logic and their positions, if there had been much meaning in it, Hikage would probably be trying to kill her right now, not sitting down for a meal together with her and accepting a Christmas gift from her.

Did Hikage really know her that well?

Well... She was glad. Even if Hikage herself didn't realize it, that just confirmed, in Katsuragi's mind, that she had made a good choice in gift.

"O... Oh." It didn't take long for her to make a comeback from it. A sheepish sort of smile forming on her face, the girl lowered her gaze to her own wrist, reaching over with her other hand to gently flick at the metallic piece of jewelry with her index finger. "Good. You're right. It's the complete opposite of that... Well, mostly. You weren't totally wrong. We are fighting, but we _do_ fight, don't we? That's fun for us, but we do it as shinobi too. Our lives are mixed up and intertwined now, just like these two here. We may be on opposite sides, but that doesn't mean we can't be with each other too. So, uh... Basically, this is all of that."

For a moment, the two were silent. Katsuragi had given Hikage the explanation she had wanted, embarrassing as it was, and Hikage was processing and considering it, trying to decide what she thought of it.

"I see. You really didn't mean that that way." Hikage nodded, accepting the answer. Deciding the "right" thing to do now was to put it on, she slowly, with blank motions that were as about as unenthusiastic as they could be, put the chain on her own wrist — opposite of the one Katsuragi had hers on. Seeing all of this, Katsuragi simply sighed dramatically, as if she couldn't believe Hikage had even come to that conclusion in the first place, but she was pleased that the message had gotten through all the same. For her part, Hikage really didn't mind the chain so much now... Had she minded it before? It seemed as though she must have, comparing how she felt about it now to a moment ago, but she couldn't figure out why. Oh well. At least one part of this gift giving thing had been dealt with, and it was one step closer to finally being over. "Don't forget, I still don't have anything for you."

As she spoke, Hikage noticed it fairly quickly, that strange... sensation. Something felt off. She couldn't quite place what it was, but there was something peculiar now that hadn't been there a moment earlier, before Katsuragi had explained the meaning of the chain. Now that she knew what it meant... She looked at it, still feeling _weird_.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Grinning, Katsuragi turned to the green haired girl, intending to wave off the comment. She hadn't expected anything to begin with. She had accomplished the goal she had set out to accomplish, and it seemed like Hikage didn't _hate_ the stupid sentimental thing she had put together, so she could call this a job well done, right? Before Katsuragi could move her hand to do what she had intended, however, she caught sight of something that made her freeze on the spot, her heart skipping a beat. "H-Hikage...!"

The girl in question looked up, as alarmed as she could be given the situation — which, considering the lack of action indicating any thread on Katsuragi's part, wasn't really very alarmed at all. She hadn't realized she had been staring at the chain, but indeed, she had been.

"What? Spit it out." While her voice was as emotionless as ever, that strange sensation was even more present now with her speaking.

"You're _smiling_! Still!" Beaming herself, Katsuragi could do little else but look over her companion and enjoy the sight of this rare treasure. She had been staring at the gift she had been given and _smiling_ about it. That... That was _awesome_! "I always knew you had it in you!"

With it out in the open, Hikage just... blinked. Her face _did_ feel strange, but was she really smiling...? That hadn't felt like the source of that weird feeling — it had felt like it was coming from somewhere else. This smile was more like a symptom of the real ailment currently afflicting her... She didn't see why this was happening to her. It was just strange. There was nothing particularly interesting here worthy of that, so why had she done it? She didn't understand.

"Well, now you definitely don't have to worry about getting me anything." Nodding, the blonde placed a cheerful hand on the green haired girl's back, her smile shining with something that Hikage could only describe as... pure. She wasn't against having been the reason that Katsuragi was making the expression, though it would have been nice to know why that was. Oh well. "Seeing _that_? And in response to my gift? That's the best present I've gotten all day."

Was that all? That was simple enough, then.

"I see. So I don't have to get you anything? That's a relief." Hikage closed her eyes and nodded, satisfied with this being the end result. Not that she had really planned on getting Katsuragi anything in return, but she'd _almost_ started to consider it. Now she could save the money and still enjoy her free meal without any issues at all. This had worked out nicely. "I've never understood it, but if it works as alternatives for things that require money, 'smiling' might a skill worth learning after all."

Katsuragi, on the other hand, could only gape at the pure and unadulterated _callousness_ of the other shinobi.

"Wha- How can you say that!? That's the part where you're touched by how much you mean to me and realize you totally want to get me something that tops that! That's how that's supposed to go."

Hikage just stared.

She recalled the chain, and Katsuragi's words.

The strange sensation melted into a more familiar one.

She was... smirking. Probably.

"If you beat me in a fight, I'll think about it." It was a simple enough suggestion, but for some reason, Hikage no longer felt like she wanted to just eat and go home anymore. Spending the remainder of the evening fighting Katsuragi would not at all be the worst way she could spend her time, she decided.

The blonde's eyes lit up. The fire in her veins had been ignited with those simple words. Hikage really did know her well, didn't she?

"Oho! Now you're talking my language! You're on!" Grinning toothily, a competitive look on her face, Katsuragi turned to the ramen stand's master eagerly. She was already looking forward to their upcoming "after party," and they still had a meal to get through! "Hey, mister, we're ready to order over here!"

"About time! Coming right up, ladies!"

* * *

><p>As the two girls ate their meal, which at some point had turned into a race, every so often, their arms would brush against each other — and their matching chains would clink together.<p>

"Ha... Ha... Check it out! I finished first...!"

"There's still seconds to eat."

"S-Seconds!? You're a black hole! Gimme seconds over here too!"

And so Katsuragi and Hikage spent Christmas together. Not together under the stars, not together holding hands, not even together watching old Christmas movies, but together in the way that suited them best. At the end of the night, maybe they would be enemies, maybe they would be rivals, or maybe one might die on a mission and it would have been the last time they saw each other — whatever happened down the road, it didn't matter.

They still couldn't have asked for a better Christmas.


End file.
